5 editor picks in Madison.
5 italian places in Madison we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Madison | Italian across every city.
Madison's Italian dining splits between old-guard west-side rooms and newer downtown pasta kitchens. Lombardino's on University Avenue is the long-standing classic, while Cento near Capitol Square works a more contemporary Italian menu. Salvatore's Tomato Pies brings a distinctive square pan-pizza tradition to the downtown mix.
Cento on West Mifflin, the Food Fight group's downtown Italian under chef Michael Pruett, runs handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in an open kitchen.
OrderWhatever pasta the kitchen is rolling that day plus a wood-fired pie from the brick oven.
TipThe chef's table seats up to 12 with a custom tasting; Tuesday-Thursday dinners stay quieter.
Lombardino's on University Avenue, the west-side Italian dining room reborn under Michael Banas in 2000, serves classics in a mural-painted room.
OrderA wood-fired veal preparation, plus an order of the house-made pasta to start.
TipFirst-come, first-served seating Thursday through Sunday; arrive by 17:30 to avoid the wait on football Saturdays.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.
OrderA Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
TipFree covered parking on Livingston between East Washington and East Mifflin; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday.
Salvatore's Tomato Pies on North Livingston, the Madison branch of the Sun Prairie Trenton-style pizzeria, runs tomato pies with sauce on top of the cheese.
OrderA Trenton-style tomato pie and a Wisconsin tap beer at happy hour.
TipClosed Monday; 16:00-18:00 happy hour Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday with $5 off 10-inch pies.
Lombardino's on University Avenue, the west-side Italian fine-dining room reborn under Michael Banas in 2000, runs hand-cut pasta and wood-fired veal.
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